Prince Harry is standing by the controversial things he said in a phone call that he thought came from the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Duke of Sussex, however, is feeling violated by the malicious prank initiated by two Russian hoaxers.
In the podcast Heirpod, royal expert Omid Scobie said that Prince Harry was not actually concerned about the reaction over the things he said in the prank phone call. The duke, however, felt that it was a violation after the Russian pranksters released the audio of their conversations.
Scobie added that Prince Harry is standing by the things he said about very personal issues and personalities, which fake Greta asked. The royal expert said that the Duke of Sussex has nothing to hide but the violation, after learning that it was all prank, was not a pleasant feeling.
The audio's release also came at a time when Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle just finished their final royal duties in England. Scobie said that the Duke of Sussex was feeling vulnerable as the public has been watching their every move.
Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov are famous in Russia for their pranks. They called up Prince Harry on New Year's Eve and then again on Jan. 22 and pretended they were Greta Thunberg and her father, Svante Thunberg.
The Russian pranksters got Prince Harry to open up about his issues with the royal family, as well as his thoughts about leaders like President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. They apparently got hold of the duke through the former Chief Executive of the Royal Foundation, who did not vet the identities of the pranksters.
In the said phone call, Prince Harry told fake Greta that Trump has blood on his hands for pushing fossil fuels. He also gave "Greta" an advice about dealing with world leaders who are already set on their ways, like Johnson.
Prince Harry said that Johnson is a good man but he has a different view than the teenage activist. The Duke of Sussex, however, encouraged Greta to keep her fight as she was in a good position to open up the eyes of these world leaders.
The duke also discussed Megxit with Greta. He said that it was not an easy decision to make. However, he felt that it was the right decision for his family and to protect his son, Archie.
Prince Harry and Meghan announced that they were stepping back as senior royals in January to avoid being in the media spotlight. The Sussex family are now living a private life in Vancouver but they will officially be non-working royals by March 31.
